About Italy
Italy, a country of over 57 million people, pulses with life and color. Italians shun solitude and are happiest in groups, gathering on street corners for animated conversations punctuated with gestures.
Italian is the official language of Italy, but there are 73 different dialects. For example, a group of natives of Milan, Naples, and Sicily would not be able to communicate with each other in their own dialects. However, most Italians today can speak the Tuscan or standard Italian that is taught in schools.
Rome can be considered the dividing point between two diverse areas—the northern and southern part of Italy. Northern Italy (Milan, Turin, Florence, and Venice) is the economic heart of the country with large factories and a fast-paced lifestyle. The North hosts the fashion capital (Milan), tourist centers, political parties, and financial institutions. In southern Italy, Italians treasure family more than business. Life revolves around long-standing family traditions and moves at a much slower pace. The difference between northern and southern Italy is so extreme that the fastest growing political party, "Lombard League," is promoting a movement to secede from the South and form a "2 Italy" country.
There is great economic and political uncertainty in Italy. Italy has had 55 governments since World War II. Italians pay the highest tax ratio in the Western World. Over 45% of their income is paid in taxes to a government that promises but does not deliver. Young people, especially in the South, face very high unemployment and high crime. Southerners also have to contend with organized crime. The mafia forces people to pay money to run their businesses or build homes.
While most Italians consider themselves Roman Catholic, less than 10 percent attend mass even once a month. Their "religion" is more tradition and convenience than a life-changing personal choice. In 1984, the president of Italy declared that Catholicism would no longer be the "state religion" and that all faiths would share equal rights and privileges. This formal political declaration opened many doors for different religions. Protestants no longer endure persecution. Jehovah's Witnesses are the second largest religious group after the Catholic church, and Islam is the fastest growing religion. From Mormonism to Zen Buddhism, Italians are open to all forms of religion. Even television broadcasts programs dedicated to fortune telling and card reading. Italians who decide that the Catholic church cannot meet their deep longings turn to superstition and other forms of "faith in God." For others, the Catholic church still provides for their needs from the cradle to the grave with little effort on their part. They tend to view other religions with indifference.
While there seems to be an openness to other religious faiths, evangelicals make up less than 1% of the population. Of the more than 35,000 cities, towns, and villages, less than 1,500 have an evangelical church. To better understand how many of these communities have no gospel witness, imagine you wanted to visit each one for just one day and then travel to another town to visit the following day and you did this every day of the year until you had visited each one. It would take you 92 years before you visited each city or town without a gospel witness for just one day. There is only one trained pastor for every 350,000 people. The evangelical church continues its task of breaking through the invisible barriers to present the gospel to the millions of Italians yet to be reached.
Another great need in Italy is for doctrinally sound Italian pastors. There is much false teaching in Italy. The only Protestant theological seminary in Italy is rank liberal. Ecumenism is very strong. Many liberal Protestants, along with some Charismatics and Pentecostals, are seeking to unite all Christians, including Roman Catholics.
Invitation
There are several ways for you to be involved in ministering to the spiritually needy people of Italy.
1) Pray. Italy has never been impacted by the Protestant Reformation. In Mark 9:28-29, the disciples could not cast out a demonic spirit. When they asked Jesus why, He said, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." Italy also is in such great spiritual bondage that a special ministry of intercessory prayer is needed. You can have an impact on Italy with your fervent prayer.
2) Support a missionary. Most missionaries raise their financial support from churches and interested friends. Many missionaries are under-supported financially. Contact a mission agency which has work in Italy and ask about a missionary you can support.
3) Raise awareness in your church. You can help keep your church family informed of the needs and accomplishments of missionaries. Maybe the Lord would use you to encourage someone else to go to Italy as a missionary.
4) Go yourself. You can serve as a short-term or career missionary yourself. Contact a mission agency like Aurora Mission for more information about becoming a missionary to Italy.
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